What books did I read this month? "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou (book club)
Magazines? Guideposts, Real Simple Travel
What movies did I see this month? The Blue Dahlia (Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake) (1946); Rain Man; Arsenic and Old Lace (Cary Grant); A Few Good Men; Juno
TV Shows? Ghost Whisperer, CSI, The Mentalist, Bones, Desperate Housewives, Lie to Me, America's Most Wanted, Dateline: Taylor Swift, NBS Special: Day in the Life of the Obama White House, 24, CMT Insider, Dateline on ID, Law & Order: CI
What special days did I celebrate and how? My birthday! Lunch with Stacey; Lunch at Varisty and visit to IKEA with Donna B; cropping with Christy and Carolyn with a cake; lunch with Lisa; visit from Mom with cookie cake; dinner with Tracy.
What illness or health concerns did I have this month? None! Just the usual allergy and IBS stuff.
What fun things did I do with friends and/or family? Lunch with Yvette; Went with Mom to pick out her new kitty cats; my birthday and all it entailed; cropping with Christy and Carolyn every week; visiting my cousin, Wesley, in Kite.
What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month? None that I can think of. Tracy was working on a big project and was gone a lot so I didn't cook much.
What special or unusual purchases did I make? We bought a car! A 2008 Mercury Mariner. More Sizzix (including several alphabets!), a table for my laptop; a desk chair for Tracy (which Patches is using WAY more than he does!)
What were this month's disappointments? None!
What were my accomplishments this month? Not having a car payment!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Better late than never - my birthday
I'm way behind on posting to my blog. I seem to do several posts in one day and then nothing for a month! So I'm just now sharing some thoughts on my birthday last month.
As always, I talk up my birthday so much that my friends have no choice but remember it! But I do love my birthday. So many do not understand why... but I'm sure it goes back to my childhood... like so many things. My father must have hated Christmas cause he was always in a foul mood that time of year. He ruined many of them, so now I'm not crazy about Christmas myself. Over the years, my issue has become that Christmas is so commercialized now... they have the Christmas stuff out before Halloween! It's this big push to buy the "just right" gift for everyone on your list. The very people who tell you that "Jesus is the reason for the season" are also the ones who are rushing from store to store trying to find that perfect gift. There is no extra politeness at Christmas time... people are too hurried, too rushed, too pressured to get way too much done in a month's time.
Anyway, with that said... Daddy didn't like Christmas, but his birthday and Father's Day were all about him, so he was good with that. And his birthday was 3 days after mine, and Father's Day was right around then, too, so he was always in a pretty good mood that time of year. When I was a child, we were usually on vacation at Lake Lure, North Carolina, on my birthday. But my mom always had me a cake and presents in that motel room. My birthday was never glossed over or forgotten in the busy-ness of vacation.
So thus... I have fonder memories of my birthday. Plus as I've said many times, your birthday is your own special day... it should be celebrated. On the day you came into this world, for someone, be it your mother, your father, your grandmother, your adoptive parents, or your sibling, it was the best day of their life. Now THAT's something to celebrate!
For many, it's just a reminder that they are getting older. Well, I'm not thrilled about aging either, but it is what it is. There's no stopping it. There's no changing it. All the diet and exercise in the world is not going to make us live for 150 years. Part of the human experience is aging and dying. Can't change it so I might as well make the best of it. Thus, I have happy birthdays!! :)
This year was really great. With joining Facebook, I was able to hear from so many people I wouldn't have heard from otherwise. I had lunches with friends, crops with friends, dinner with my husband, a visit from my mom, cards and calls from so many people, plus more I'm probably not remembering to mention here. I even had one friend who kept me going on text messaging, trying to figure out who she was for about 2 hours!! LOL
But I wanted to share the most ironic moment of my day...
I'm at the Varsity with my friend, Donna B., on June 16th. (Isn't that a great place to eat your birthday lunch??!!) Anyway, I get a phone call from Brittany. (Very sweet, right? for her to remember my day!) This is how I remember the conversation:
"Happy Birthday, Aunt Lizzie!"
"Thank you, Baby!"
Some idle chatter here.
Then...
"I miss you so much, Aunt Lizzie!" (And I'm thinking... 'Then why don't you bring your butt to Georgia this summer???!!!!!')
Then I told her:
"I told Uncle Tracy that with the money we're saving from you guys not coming up this summer, he should take me to the beach!"
And she said... (Are you ready for this?!)
"You should come down here to the beach and see me!"
Oh, yes she did. Like only a teenager can do. Luckily, I can laugh at it!
And let me just add... Tracy and I are going to Myrtle Beach next week... NOT Florida!! LOL
Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful friend and family who made my 42nd birthday so GREAT!!
As always, I talk up my birthday so much that my friends have no choice but remember it! But I do love my birthday. So many do not understand why... but I'm sure it goes back to my childhood... like so many things. My father must have hated Christmas cause he was always in a foul mood that time of year. He ruined many of them, so now I'm not crazy about Christmas myself. Over the years, my issue has become that Christmas is so commercialized now... they have the Christmas stuff out before Halloween! It's this big push to buy the "just right" gift for everyone on your list. The very people who tell you that "Jesus is the reason for the season" are also the ones who are rushing from store to store trying to find that perfect gift. There is no extra politeness at Christmas time... people are too hurried, too rushed, too pressured to get way too much done in a month's time.
Anyway, with that said... Daddy didn't like Christmas, but his birthday and Father's Day were all about him, so he was good with that. And his birthday was 3 days after mine, and Father's Day was right around then, too, so he was always in a pretty good mood that time of year. When I was a child, we were usually on vacation at Lake Lure, North Carolina, on my birthday. But my mom always had me a cake and presents in that motel room. My birthday was never glossed over or forgotten in the busy-ness of vacation.
So thus... I have fonder memories of my birthday. Plus as I've said many times, your birthday is your own special day... it should be celebrated. On the day you came into this world, for someone, be it your mother, your father, your grandmother, your adoptive parents, or your sibling, it was the best day of their life. Now THAT's something to celebrate!
For many, it's just a reminder that they are getting older. Well, I'm not thrilled about aging either, but it is what it is. There's no stopping it. There's no changing it. All the diet and exercise in the world is not going to make us live for 150 years. Part of the human experience is aging and dying. Can't change it so I might as well make the best of it. Thus, I have happy birthdays!! :)
This year was really great. With joining Facebook, I was able to hear from so many people I wouldn't have heard from otherwise. I had lunches with friends, crops with friends, dinner with my husband, a visit from my mom, cards and calls from so many people, plus more I'm probably not remembering to mention here. I even had one friend who kept me going on text messaging, trying to figure out who she was for about 2 hours!! LOL
But I wanted to share the most ironic moment of my day...
I'm at the Varsity with my friend, Donna B., on June 16th. (Isn't that a great place to eat your birthday lunch??!!) Anyway, I get a phone call from Brittany. (Very sweet, right? for her to remember my day!) This is how I remember the conversation:
"Happy Birthday, Aunt Lizzie!"
"Thank you, Baby!"
Some idle chatter here.
Then...
"I miss you so much, Aunt Lizzie!" (And I'm thinking... 'Then why don't you bring your butt to Georgia this summer???!!!!!')
Then I told her:
"I told Uncle Tracy that with the money we're saving from you guys not coming up this summer, he should take me to the beach!"
And she said... (Are you ready for this?!)
"You should come down here to the beach and see me!"
Oh, yes she did. Like only a teenager can do. Luckily, I can laugh at it!
And let me just add... Tracy and I are going to Myrtle Beach next week... NOT Florida!! LOL
Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful friend and family who made my 42nd birthday so GREAT!!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
"They year they outgrew me"
Sunday night I got the call I've been preparing myself for the last two years. I knew it was coming. It was inevitable. It's human nature, a rite of passage, as predictable as the tide going in and out.
And yet... I wasn't ready.
Missi called on Sunday night with the news that the kids weren't coming up to visit this year. They didn't want to hurt my feelings, so Brittany was avoiding making a decision (which means it's made - she just didn't want to tell me) and Brandon... Well, I have to give him credit. He made me proud... at the same time he said the words I had been dreading. Once Missi assured him I wasn't upset or hurt, he got on the phone to tell me himself that he had a job this summer and "probably" (the word used to try to let me down easy, I'm sure) wouldn't be coming up this summer.
Now, to be fair to Brittany, she wasn't home... so maybe she would have told me, too.
My friend told me tonight that when this happened to her she called it "the year they outgrew her." I think that's appropriate. They are teenagers now... they have their friends. At that age, that IS the most important thing... the most important people in their lives.
My head knew this was coming. My heart was never going to be ready.
I am afraid I won't see them much... and I didn't see them enough as it was. That week-10 days each summer was my one chance to get a glimpse into their lives and who they were at that point. The rest of the year, they compete in track, they graduate from elementary school, they have birthday parties, Thanksgiving meals, Christmas mornings, and scores of other events that I'm never part of. We made our memories each July. And they were great memories.
Oh, I know I can go to Florida to see them. And I know I will. But they will still be busy with their friends and lives, and won't have much time for their old Grand Aunt when she's there.
So I am left with the hope and prayer that one day... about 10-15 years from now maybe, that from the foundation we have laid over the last 6 years' worth of summers, we will be close, and I will be invited to the big events of their lives at that time... weddings, births, holidays.
Brittany and Brandon...
“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way!” - Dr. Suess, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
2005
2008
And yet... I wasn't ready.
Missi called on Sunday night with the news that the kids weren't coming up to visit this year. They didn't want to hurt my feelings, so Brittany was avoiding making a decision (which means it's made - she just didn't want to tell me) and Brandon... Well, I have to give him credit. He made me proud... at the same time he said the words I had been dreading. Once Missi assured him I wasn't upset or hurt, he got on the phone to tell me himself that he had a job this summer and "probably" (the word used to try to let me down easy, I'm sure) wouldn't be coming up this summer.
Now, to be fair to Brittany, she wasn't home... so maybe she would have told me, too.
My friend told me tonight that when this happened to her she called it "the year they outgrew her." I think that's appropriate. They are teenagers now... they have their friends. At that age, that IS the most important thing... the most important people in their lives.
My head knew this was coming. My heart was never going to be ready.
I am afraid I won't see them much... and I didn't see them enough as it was. That week-10 days each summer was my one chance to get a glimpse into their lives and who they were at that point. The rest of the year, they compete in track, they graduate from elementary school, they have birthday parties, Thanksgiving meals, Christmas mornings, and scores of other events that I'm never part of. We made our memories each July. And they were great memories.
Oh, I know I can go to Florida to see them. And I know I will. But they will still be busy with their friends and lives, and won't have much time for their old Grand Aunt when she's there.
So I am left with the hope and prayer that one day... about 10-15 years from now maybe, that from the foundation we have laid over the last 6 years' worth of summers, we will be close, and I will be invited to the big events of their lives at that time... weddings, births, holidays.
Brittany and Brandon...
“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way!” - Dr. Suess, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
2005
2008
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Some June layouts
Various pictures the kids and I have taken in the car... they are in the car a lot when they are with me and they get bored. It's fun to take pictures.
Christmas lights in Grovetown, Georgia this past Christmas. First outing for my mom after my father died.
Some May layouts
2007: Took Brittany to Archiver's for some scrapping with Carolyn and Christy... boy, we've been scrapping at Archiver's for quite awhile now! All those rings were cut out of foam... it was a pain, but I like the results.
My Kimmie... she's so sweet... and so old.
Trixie helps us make the bed... ;)
I have NO idea why Gracie was sitting this way. I'm just glad I got a picture of it!
Stacey and I meeting with Dora. (The 2nd hand kind of Dora - at Goodwill. Not the REAL Dora.)
May 2009 Roundup of Memories
What books did I read this month?
I didn't actually finish a book this month... not even my book club book!
Magazines?
All You; Real Simple; Reader's Digest
What movies did I see this month?
The Bicycle Thief (Italian film); Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; The Philadelphia Story (Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart); The Birds (Tippi Hedren)
TV Shows?
The Locator, Two and a Half Men, Oprah, CSI, Without a Trace, America's Most Wanted, Oprah, Lie to Me, Bones, The Mentalist, Bewitched, Step by Step, Chuck
What special days did I celebrate and how?
National Scrapbooking Day - several friends and I cropped here at the house.
Mother's Day - Mom and Tracy's parents came over on the Saturday (day) before Mother's Day and we had a fish fry.
Went to Morrow with Tracy and his parents to his Aunt Ruth's 80th birthday party.
What illness or health concerns did I have this month?
Allergies... had to take my Clarinex almost the entire month... probably because of all the rain we got.
What fun things did I do with friends and/or family?
Went out to dinner on Cinco de Mayo with Elaine.
Cropped with Carolyn at Archiver's (only once this month!)
Trip to Washington DC with my mom!!
What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month?
Tried a new pork chop recipe - with chicken broth, roasted red peppers, and red potatoes in a skillet on the stove... It was good!
Had to try several new cafes in DC cause that was the only thing around... the most interesting was the cafe at the Holocaust Museum... it billed itself as Kosher, but evidently they believe that Kosher means no meat of any kind. They didn't offer any. Mom and I ate pantinis... which I had never had before. Due to the Italian seasoning, it was pretty good.
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Stacey and I had great fun ordering Tuesday Specials from Sizzix this month!
What were this month's disappointments?
Can't think of a one! Woo Hoo - good month!
What were my accomplishments this month?
Learning my way around Washington, including the bus and Metro systems.
Keeping my mom and me safe on that trip.
I didn't actually finish a book this month... not even my book club book!
Magazines?
All You; Real Simple; Reader's Digest
What movies did I see this month?
The Bicycle Thief (Italian film); Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; The Philadelphia Story (Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart); The Birds (Tippi Hedren)
TV Shows?
The Locator, Two and a Half Men, Oprah, CSI, Without a Trace, America's Most Wanted, Oprah, Lie to Me, Bones, The Mentalist, Bewitched, Step by Step, Chuck
What special days did I celebrate and how?
National Scrapbooking Day - several friends and I cropped here at the house.
Mother's Day - Mom and Tracy's parents came over on the Saturday (day) before Mother's Day and we had a fish fry.
Went to Morrow with Tracy and his parents to his Aunt Ruth's 80th birthday party.
What illness or health concerns did I have this month?
Allergies... had to take my Clarinex almost the entire month... probably because of all the rain we got.
What fun things did I do with friends and/or family?
Went out to dinner on Cinco de Mayo with Elaine.
Cropped with Carolyn at Archiver's (only once this month!)
Trip to Washington DC with my mom!!
What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month?
Tried a new pork chop recipe - with chicken broth, roasted red peppers, and red potatoes in a skillet on the stove... It was good!
Had to try several new cafes in DC cause that was the only thing around... the most interesting was the cafe at the Holocaust Museum... it billed itself as Kosher, but evidently they believe that Kosher means no meat of any kind. They didn't offer any. Mom and I ate pantinis... which I had never had before. Due to the Italian seasoning, it was pretty good.
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Stacey and I had great fun ordering Tuesday Specials from Sizzix this month!
What were this month's disappointments?
Can't think of a one! Woo Hoo - good month!
What were my accomplishments this month?
Learning my way around Washington, including the bus and Metro systems.
Keeping my mom and me safe on that trip.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Day 10 of Washington trip: Monday
The word of the day... DRIVE. and drive and drive and drive.
We left the motel about 9:20... all I wanted was Chick-fil-A chicken minis. We've had nothing but McDonald's for breakfast for a week... was a little chicken too much to ask for? Well, apparently so in North Carolina. GPS said the closest Chick-fil-A was in Columbia, SC! So we had to eat McDonald's AGAIN.
Other than the breakfast stop, I drove straight through to Augusta. I was very sleepy, but Mom was not much help. I think that everyone gets in the passenger side of a car when I'm driving and goes into a zone. Jo Ann, Stacey, and now my mom... I'm running off the side of the road, fighting to keep my eyes open, and they are just over there like "La la la" and totally oblivious to the fact that I could kill them at any moment. So I spent a lot of time just calling people... someone talking to me was all I needed.
We got to Auguata about 1pm. I went straight to the Chick-fil-A on Washington Road! If I couldn't have it for breakfast, then I gosh darn could have it for lunch! When I stepped out of the car, I realized I had not been out since Fayetteville... it was all I could do to straighten up!
Took Mom home and did a few things on her computer for her. For those of you on AT&T, if it asks you about "upgrading" to the Yahoo! mail thingie... DON'T DO IT!! They don't allow POP access without paying for it, so now Mom has to read her mail on the web. Not a huge biggie, but it's the principle of the thing!
Left Mom's about 2:30 and drove on home. I listened to a book on tape for awhile, and when that didn't work anymore and I felt myself getting sleepy, I called Stacey. That kept me going, and the time passed quickly enough. I got home about 4:15... Everyone was glad to see me...
I didn't have to lift my hands the rest of the night. I got in my recliner, like I said I would... with Patches on top of me, of course... and took a nap. Tracy cooked supper, fed the cats, and cleaned up the kitchen. I got on the computer, ate, and watched TV. It was a good night!
And even though I woke up sick in the middle of the night... I don't know what it was and it went away... and Kimmie woke me up about 6am... it was still a good night in my own bed.
And now I am on the computer, instead of unpacking. Well, with this weather, I'm not going anywhere, so I have plenty of time, right?
We left the motel about 9:20... all I wanted was Chick-fil-A chicken minis. We've had nothing but McDonald's for breakfast for a week... was a little chicken too much to ask for? Well, apparently so in North Carolina. GPS said the closest Chick-fil-A was in Columbia, SC! So we had to eat McDonald's AGAIN.
Other than the breakfast stop, I drove straight through to Augusta. I was very sleepy, but Mom was not much help. I think that everyone gets in the passenger side of a car when I'm driving and goes into a zone. Jo Ann, Stacey, and now my mom... I'm running off the side of the road, fighting to keep my eyes open, and they are just over there like "La la la" and totally oblivious to the fact that I could kill them at any moment. So I spent a lot of time just calling people... someone talking to me was all I needed.
We got to Auguata about 1pm. I went straight to the Chick-fil-A on Washington Road! If I couldn't have it for breakfast, then I gosh darn could have it for lunch! When I stepped out of the car, I realized I had not been out since Fayetteville... it was all I could do to straighten up!
Took Mom home and did a few things on her computer for her. For those of you on AT&T, if it asks you about "upgrading" to the Yahoo! mail thingie... DON'T DO IT!! They don't allow POP access without paying for it, so now Mom has to read her mail on the web. Not a huge biggie, but it's the principle of the thing!
Left Mom's about 2:30 and drove on home. I listened to a book on tape for awhile, and when that didn't work anymore and I felt myself getting sleepy, I called Stacey. That kept me going, and the time passed quickly enough. I got home about 4:15... Everyone was glad to see me...
I didn't have to lift my hands the rest of the night. I got in my recliner, like I said I would... with Patches on top of me, of course... and took a nap. Tracy cooked supper, fed the cats, and cleaned up the kitchen. I got on the computer, ate, and watched TV. It was a good night!
And even though I woke up sick in the middle of the night... I don't know what it was and it went away... and Kimmie woke me up about 6am... it was still a good night in my own bed.
And now I am on the computer, instead of unpacking. Well, with this weather, I'm not going anywhere, so I have plenty of time, right?
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